Bernie Brewer Promotion a PR Home Run

If you’ve consumed any form of Milwaukee media this week, you’ve probably heard about the “Where’s Bernie?” promotion implemented by the Milwaukee Brewers. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, with the assistance of the Milwaukee County Parks and other Wisconsin-based parks, team mascot Bernie Brewer planned a statewide scavenger hunt called “Where’s Bernie?” and Brewers fans across Wisconsin had an opportunity to win prizes by participating.

More than 1,400 Bernie Brewer lawn ornaments, 400 with special pouches attached to them, were scattered across the state in various cities. The pouches contained game tickets, and some included additional prizes such as certificates for a night in a Miller Park Suite and game-used memorabilia; and Milwaukee County Parks passes for golf, water parks, and the Mitchell Park Domes. In addition, 100 of the lawn ornaments were autographed by Brewers players and personnel.

The hunt for Bernie officially began at 5am on Tuesday, May 24. Leading up to the 24th, Bernie used his Twitter account, @Bernie_Brewer, to give clues to fans about the location of where the 400 lawn ornaments with prizes would be placed. The promotion garnered coverage from nearly all Milwaukee-based media outlets and even wentnational (although maybe for the wrong reasons).

I love the idea behind this promotion. The Brewers capitalized on the fact that they have many loyal (sometimes crazy) fans that are highly motivated when it comes to all things Brewers. From both a social media and a traditional public relations perspective, the Brewers hit this one out of the park. (Pun intended.) And although there were reports of greedy fans hoarding lawn ornaments and starting their search early, I’d definitely call the promotion an overall success.